Some of these were in my top 28, but I strongly favor his wilder Western style, so a number of these excellent scores just missed the 28. A couple of the Western scores are largely instrumental, like DUCK YOU SUCKER and TEPEPA, so you might find them enjoyable as they are infused with many lovely orchestral melodies and a bit less of the “experimental” stuff you dislike.

Some other traditional orchestral scores which I rank a bit lower than these 10, others may rank as essential…it’s all a matter of personal taste…but they are damn fine scores: HAMLET, IN THE LINE OF FIRE, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA, THE ISLAND, LOLITA, MADDALENA. And many others.

A Fistful Of Dynamite [my favourite!] 1900 Once Upon A Time In America The Untouchables Danger Diabolik Face To Face The Big Silence Once Upon A Time In The West The Good The Bad And The Ugly The Legend of 1900 Wolf The Thing Short Night Of Glass Dolls The Mission Everybody’s Fine Hundra My Name Is Nobody Cinema Paradiso Malena The Mercenary The Big Silence Four Flies On Grey Velvet Exorcist 2 Casualties Of War In The Line Of Fire U-Turn Desert Of The Tartars A Lizard In A Woman’s Skin

One of my favourite composers, but the 50 or so CDs I have doesn’t really scratch the surface, and I can’t afford them all!

Okay, hands up - I meant Storie di Vita e Malavita, which obviously doesn't translate into the title I gave! I used the English titles by and large as I was naming them off the top of my head and didn't want to embarrass myself - which I did anyway. I always think of it as Love and the Underworld for reasons that I forget.

However, it did me a favour ultimately, as I listened to it on the way back from a business trip to Newcastle this afternoon and it reminded me how good it is. Well worth inclusion in the 28.

To be fair, though, very few of the titles mentioned throughout this thread aren't.

Okay, hands up - I meant Storie di Vita e Malavita, which obviously doesn't translate into the title I gave! I used the English titles by and large as I was naming them off the top of my head and didn't want to embarrass myself - which I did anyway. I always think of it as Love and the Underworld for reasons that I forget.

However, it did me a favour ultimately, as I listened to it on the way back from a business trip to Newcastle this afternoon and it reminded me how good it is. Well worth inclusion in the 28.

To be fair, though, very few of the titles mentioned throughout this thread aren't.

Chris

Thanks for the answer, Chris ... easy when you know. It's English title, though, appears to be The (Teenage) Prostitution Racket which does not help!

Due to my non-stop buying of CDs, I started, last year, noting when I play albums, scores, symphonies et al. and according to said listings ... this score hasn't been aired for at least five months. Too late this evening (NP: Symphonic Dances - Rachmaninov - Ashkenazy/RCO) but perhaps tomorrow.

I meant Storie di Vita e Malavita, which obviously doesn't translate into the title I gave! I used the English titles by and large as I was naming them off the top of my head and didn't want to embarrass myself - which I did anyway. I always think of it as Love and the Underworld for reasons that I forget.

Thanks for the answer, Chris ... easy when you know. It's English title, though, appears to be The (Teenage) Prostitution Racket which does not help!

Mitch

Aha! After literally some searching, I found that MSV's magnificent Morricone discography - you know, the hardback ring binder one - gives various alternate titles to Storie di Vita e Malavita including (drum roll) Story of Love and the Underworld.

Vindication, like ginger sponge and custard, has a swe-e-e-e-e-t taste!

Chris

(For the record, I first encountered the main theme on the glorious 2-disc LP "I Film Della Violenza", and it also appears on the CD of "Endless Game". Why "Violenza" hasn't ever been released on CD is a perplexing mystery, right up there with grapefruit & kiwi washing up liquid and the continuing popularity of Eamonn Holmes.)